Dreaming of Chickens - Rocky and Carlo's

[Dreaming of Chickens]

...We live in upper St. Bernard inside levee protection...

You have got to be kidding me. I'm an ex-Chalmation and a former Violation. Started out on Riverbend, then did my middle school years on Gallo, between JP and St.B Hwy. After getting married, lived right at Paris and Genie, behind Ponstein's. We moved up here in 2000, after retiring from Shell in Norco. It's nice to have another yat from Down in da Parish! Man, what I wouldn't do for a dozen from Randazzo's or some Gerald Burgers.

Well what do ya know! I grew up as a Violation myself. What a small world. I grew up a couple a blocks of off Colonial. After the storm (13 weeks after!) I got married and we fixed up his mom's house in Chalmette. Wow, you worked in Norco and drove out there from here. And I complain about drive'n to the city every day! :/ Gerald's just reopened their location in Arabi earlier this year. Randazzo's though, they are on the northshore now. They just opened an annex here, but not an actual bakery. Guess that's better than nothing. Da Parish has been making a come back and you should see what they have done with Chalmette High School! It's fantastic. It will never be the same down here again, but it's still a good place to live.

 

[Dreaming of Chickens]

What I accomplished today:

trellised the peas, replaced the cucumber and tomato I lost to the storm this weekend as well as the squash I lost a couple weeks ago. Can't plant them yet with the ground still so saturated, but hopefully they will go in the ground in a day or two. staked up the corn. Hubby brought home some food grade buckets he got at a restaurant. Have those soak'n now and will get them washed tonight and put away for future food storage. Hubby is at work right now, but he'll be home soon and we are grill'n steaks and burgers for dinner!

 

[savingdogs]

SS - sorry to hear about the new leaks. hope you can get those patched up quickly. We are doing fine, though I haven't checked my big garden yet. I'm afraid to go out there and look at it. Will have to do it though. We did fine. We live in upper St. Bernard inside levee protection. I'll journal about the garden after I check it.

lorihadams - wish I had the room for a chicken tractor. I have a very tiny back yard. There is room for a small coop behind the garage, but I'd like to let my chickens roam the yard and I have two dogs with a high prey drive so there would be this constant thing of putting the chickens up every time the dogs need to go out and then watching the dogs while they are out there. Besides, I think I am only allowed to have 5 chickens where I live. I'd like to have a lot more than that. Hopefully one day we will have a little piece of land so I can have an area just for the chickens. That's ma dream!

I have a solution for you with the dogs and chickens....I have the same situation although I have a big plot of land and six dogs. You could do the same thing on a smaller scale in a very tiny backyard (if they are legally allowed). You'd want to build a small coup and also a small run.....if you look over at BYC there are lots of tiny ones. Your "run" would need a top and would need to be of something sturdy like chain link with something protecting from digging dogs (like buried chicken wire, or we used frequently placed stakes). The chickens would need to be let out of this small space daily, but you just time it when the dogs have already been outside. Even if the chickens can be loose a few hours a day, the rest of the time they could be in the pen. During that time, bring your dogs in the house. When you want the chickens to go back in their pen, put a treat in there like black oil sunflower seeds and they will learn to run right in, and they are like homing pigeons or something, once they get used to their coop, they really like to be there, especially at night. You would just need to limit yourself to like three hens MAX in a small space, or maybe just two.
Dogs can be trained (even ones with prey drives) to be better behaved around chickens. If they see a chicken through a fence for a long time they eventually get kind of boring. But with the way I manage my "yard", the dogs and chickens don't meet except seeing each other through the fence. We do this not because our yard is small, but because our FENCED area is small and we like both chickens and dogs to be fenced in (for several reasons). I usually have a schedule where I let the dogs out for about two hours in the morning while the chickens are still inside their pen. Then the dogs go inside and the chickens are let out until noon, when I throw sunflower seeds out at them and they all charge back into their coop. Dogs get another play time, and when they want to come in, I let the chickens back out. In the evening chickens naturally "go to bed" and I let the dogs out after they put themselves in bed and let them stretch their legs and hang out outside.
In winter, this is even easier because both dogs and chickens like to stay inside when it is rainy/snowy or cold. If you have the animals on a routine it isn't hard at all. If you are gone part of the day, your routine could just be created around your personal situation.

 

[k0xxx]

My sister and BIL owned a home about a block off of Colonial for a time, years back. Oh yeah, that was some drive to Norco and back and I did that for twenty years. I still miss the Parish, and was even tempted to move back after the storm just to support the area. The one thing that really freaked me out, when we went down for our first visit after the storm, was Rocky's. It was so CLEAN and bright in there! Really weird.

We usually make a twice yearly pilgrimage to the area and load up on Treitler's hogshead cheese and sausage (they're in Picayune, MS now), shrimp when they're in season, Camellia dried beans, Zatarain's products, Community Coffee, Zap's, Hubig Pies, etc., etc., etc.

Do you know anyone growing mirlitons? The storm killed off a huge percentage of the mirliton plants and seed mirlitons, and I haven't been able to locate anyone that still has some. I've grown cucuzza the last couple of years, but I really miss SELA Mirlitons and Creole Tomatoes. We actually have a crawfish farm about 70 miles from here, but they are ridiculously expensive. I still go convince myself to buy at least a sack every year, only because the gas to drive down to get some would cost me more.

Yes, the Parish will never be the same again, but dang I sure do miss being there anyway.

 

[Dreaming of Chickens]

SS - sorry to hear about the new leaks. hope you can get those patched up quickly. We are doing fine, though I haven't checked my big garden yet. I'm afraid to go out there and look at it. Will have to do it though. We did fine. We live in upper St. Bernard inside levee protection. I'll journal about the garden after I check it.

lorihadams - wish I had the room for a chicken tractor. I have a very tiny back yard. There is room for a small coop behind the garage, but I'd like to let my chickens roam the yard and I have two dogs with a high prey drive so there would be this constant thing of putting the chickens up every time the dogs need to go out and then watching the dogs while they are out there. Besides, I think I am only allowed to have 5 chickens where I live. I'd like to have a lot more than that. Hopefully one day we will have a little piece of land so I can have an area just for the chickens. That's ma dream!

I have a solution for you with the dogs and chickens....I have the same situation although I have a big plot of land and six dogs. You could do the same thing on a smaller scale in a very tiny backyard (if they are legally allowed). You'd want to build a small coup and also a small run.....if you look over at BYC there are lots of tiny ones. Your "run" would need a top and would need to be of something sturdy like chain link with something protecting from digging dogs (like buried chicken wire, or we used frequently placed stakes). The chickens would need to be let out of this small space daily, but you just time it when the dogs have already been outside. Even if the chickens can be loose a few hours a day, the rest of the time they could be in the pen. During that time, bring your dogs in the house. When you want the chickens to go back in their pen, put a treat in there like black oil sunflower seeds and they will learn to run right in, and they are like homing pigeons or something, once they get used to their coop, they really like to be there, especially at night. You would just need to limit yourself to like three hens MAX in a small space, or maybe just two.
Dogs can be trained (even ones with prey drives) to be better behaved around chickens. If they see a chicken through a fence for a long time they eventually get kind of boring. But with the way I manage my "yard", the dogs and chickens don't meet except seeing each other through the fence. We do this not because our yard is small, but because our FENCED area is small and we like both chickens and dogs to be fenced in (for several reasons). I usually have a schedule where I let the dogs out for about two hours in the morning while the chickens are still inside their pen. Then the dogs go inside and the chickens are let out until noon, when I throw sunflower seeds out at them and they all charge back into their coop. Dogs get another play time, and when they want to come in, I let the chickens back out. In the evening chickens naturally "go to bed" and I let the dogs out after they put themselves in bed and let them stretch their legs and hang out outside.
In winter, this is even easier because both dogs and chickens like to stay inside when it is rainy/snowy or cold. If you have the animals on a routine it isn't hard at all. If you are gone part of the day, your routine could just be created around your personal situation.

This is kinda what I had in mind and there is a good space for the coop and run behind my garage. I can have up to 5 chickens where I live (that's what I heard. I'd still have to check it out). Even if I could just get 3 I'd be happy for now. My larger dog I think I can train, but that little one is another story. I have never had a dog this challenging and difficult to train. He was a stray and I think the people who had him before just didn't teach him anything at all. He didn't even know "sit" and didn't know what a leash was the first time I took him for a walk and he was about a year old when we found him. We know he belong to someone because he had a collar and tag. He's great with people and with other dogs, but any other critter, look out! whew! This world is at least 3 possums short thanks to him. Anyway, I have been giving it some thought. I didn't know they would be that easy to get back into their coop. Maybe tonight I will measure the space, check out byc and do a cost estimate on building the coop. At least that would be a start, then maybe next spring we can be in business. Thanks for the advice!

 

[savingdogs]

In the meantime, start teaching that dog something like "leave it" as a command, so you have a way of telling the dog that the chickens are off limits. Does it fetch? Using a toy to teach "leave it" is the easiest, or you can teach it kind of as a No! command whenever the dog gets into mischief. Or have one command for "leave it" and I also teach "enough!", which means stop what you are doing as opposed to drop that. If you can't get his attention with your voice put him on a leash to teach this. I don't give treats for these things, I just expect them to do what I say and then enforce it. But some people teach leave it by trading up, giving a treat for when they release the object. But it would be a really good thing to work on prior to getting chickens. I have no idea how to teach dogs to herd however so don't ask me about that, other people on here are probably better at that.

We found with our dogs, at first they seemed waaaaay too interested and we kept them 100 percent apart. Then over time we saw that most of them lost interest in them, especially when they saw them every day between the rungs of the fence. They are more interested in eating that yummy chicken poo.
When they "met" again, the dogs had no reaction, the chickens did not run.....except ONE of our dogs, she is the one who would chase/kill/eat them. She is a more primitive breed. So we don't actually let her into that yard, in my case, I have a large pen without a top (too large) so the chickens sometimes fly over, so she cannot be trusted back there, and I let her have potty breaks in my front yard only. But she is older and probably harder to train because of breed, and I don't try to make her change her instincts, I only try to manage the space to keep the chickens safe. Between THAT dog and the chickens, I try to keep two barriers. Meaning like a fence and a door, or two doors, or a crate inside a room and then a door blocking her from them as well. Too many times she has been able to outsmart us and escape and she killed TWO of my chickens. The first one was the dogs fault and the second one was my fault because I should have known the dog would do it again. But we have had about a year go by now without another accident since I started managing this dog differently and keeping two barriers between. You could learn from my mistakes. I just assume she will kill and eat them so she isn't allowed anywhere near them nor allowed to run free. We have neighbors with chickens as well so running free is just not an option for this dog.

If you just want eggs for family use, three hens is really pretty good, unless you have a big family or eat a lot of eggs, that should give you over a dozen a week. Chickens will pick over the foliage in your yard and kill it off especially if the ratio of chicken-to-yard is such that they eat up what is there too fast. You could always add more later. They are like potato chips you know, but it is much easier to keep the space for three chickens clean and non-smelly if your space is limited than if you started adding.

 

[Dreaming of Chickens]

The one thing that really freaked me out, when we went down for our first visit after the storm, was Rocky's. It was so CLEAN and bright in there! Really weird.

I know!!! I was freaked out the first time I went in there too! It's strange, I don't ever eat in anymore. I always get my food to go because it just doesn't feel right in there. Crazy to not want to eat in a restaurant because it's clean! But the veal parm still rocks!

You know, you might be able to get your Camellia beans at Sam's. If they don't sell it in the Sam's store by you I think you can get it at there website. Of course it's a 25 lbs bag, but hey ya gotta have ya Camellia beans right! As for mirlitons, I don't know anyone who is growing them, though I have seen them in the stores. My grandmother used to grow them, but she doesn't do any gardening anymore. She might know some one with seeds though, so I can ask for ya.

This storm killed one of my beefsteak maters, so I went to home depot yesterday. All they had was something I had not heard of before and can't remember what they are now, and creole. Of course I got the creole.

 

[Dreaming of Chickens]

In the meantime, start teaching that dog something like "leave it" as a command, so you have a way of telling the dog that the chickens are off limits. Does it fetch? Using a toy to teach "leave it" is the easiest, or you can teach it kind of as a No! command whenever the dog gets into mischief. Or have one command for "leave it" and I also teach "enough!", which means stop what you are doing as opposed to drop that. If you can't get his attention with your voice put him on a leash to teach this. I don't give treats for these things, I just expect them to do what I say and then enforce it. But some people teach leave it by trading up, giving a treat for when they release the object. But it would be a really good thing to work on prior to getting chickens. I have no idea how to teach dogs to herd however so don't ask me about that, other people on here are probably better at that.

We found with our dogs, at first they seemed waaaaay too interested and we kept them 100 percent apart. Then over time we saw that most of them lost interest in them, especially when they saw them every day between the rungs of the fence. They are more interested in eating that yummy chicken poo.
When they "met" again, the dogs had no reaction, the chickens did not run.....except ONE of our dogs, she is the one who would chase/kill/eat them. She is a more primitive breed. So we don't actually let her into that yard, in my case, I have a large pen without a top (too large) so the chickens sometimes fly over, so she cannot be trusted back there, and I let her have potty breaks in my front yard only. But she is older and probably harder to train because of breed, and I don't try to make her change her instincts, I only try to manage the space to keep the chickens safe. Between THAT dog and the chickens, I try to keep two barriers. Meaning like a fence and a door, or two doors, or a crate inside a room and then a door blocking her from them as well. Too many times she has been able to outsmart us and escape and she killed TWO of my chickens. The first one was the dogs fault and the second one was my fault because I should have known the dog would do it again. But we have had about a year go by now without another accident since I started managing this dog differently and keeping two barriers between. You could learn from my mistakes. I just assume she will kill and eat them so she isn't allowed anywhere near them nor allowed to run free. We have neighbors with chickens as well so running free is just not an option for this dog.

If you just want eggs for family use, three hens is really pretty good, unless you have a big family or eat a lot of eggs, that should give you over a dozen a week. Chickens will pick over the foliage in your yard and kill it off especially if the ratio of chicken-to-yard is such that they eat up what is there too fast. You could always add more later. They are like potato chips you know, but it is much easier to keep the space for three chickens clean and non-smelly if your space is limited than if you started adding.

I really think my bigger dog, Beaux, could be trained. He already knows "drop it" and mostly responds to it. If I start enforcing more, then "leave it" wouldn't be that hard to add. I actually started with this one when he was a puppy, but didn't stick to it. If I see him going for something I don't want him to pick up and I call his name he usually stops. The little one though, whew! He is something. He has been getting a little better all the time. He needs a lot of work and I have been working with him slowly because I don't have time for a lot of intense training right now. I work with him more than Beaux because he needs the most work. I will have to train them both now though and work with them constantly because, well check out my next short, but relevant post.

 

[Dreaming of Chickens]

Last night's score: Dogs 1 - Possums 0. Ricky got a penalty (a bath) for unnecessary roughness.

Not much to report other than the possum murder. Just keep'n everything watered. Everyone else has been canning and I am still out there yelling at the stuff to hurry up and grow already. I did notice that the corn is suddenly getting big, but I lost another cucumber, a squash, and a bell pepper. Some of the maters don't seem to be growing. Have to ask hubby what he thinks about that. Any one have any idea?

Our parish is redoing our streets and sidewalks. They are widening the sidewalks from 3 to 4 feet, so after they tore up the grass I retrieved it and put it in the back yard. Still have to prep the ground before putting it in, so I have been keeping that watered too. Our back yard is nothing but weeds, mostly because it never used to get any sun. A couple a weeks ago, however, the owners of the large like 10 or so acre lot behind our house bulldozed everything down and now the yard gets plenty of light (so does my east facing master bedroom :/). So, I guess real grass will grown there now. We were going to buy some, so Yay!! Free grass!! I don't ya'll my yard is tiny. The grass they removed from about 1.5 feet from in front of my house and my neighbor's house is going to be almost enough to fill in the entire yard and we have narrow lots here. So, that's all I have for today. Ya'll have a great day!!

 

[k0xxx]

Good dog! 'possums and 'coons can do a number on a garden, so it's great to have a dog that protects your yard.

Widening the sidewalks, nice! It seems as though they are trying to make some improvements down there. The Parish always had it's problems with crooked politicians (like most places), but it seems as though there is at least an effort to make some things better.

I do miss the extended growing season down there. It was nice to have okra producing from June, all the way through October, at times. We even had bell peppers still producing at Christmas one year. Ya gotta love that SELA weather. There's nothing like steeping out of the house at 7 am and feeling like you've been slapped in the face by a warm, wet dish rag. And people up here complain about the humidity.